Yep, that's about all there is to it. Scale the dough for the buns to about 2-1/2 ounces for small buns (it will bake to around 2-ounces which is equal to 2 servings of bread) and go up from there for larger ones. If you've never made burger buns before, oil your hands and form the 2-1/2 ounce piece of dough into a nice ball - make sure there aren't any air bubbles. Pat the dough flat - while still in your hands - to about 1/2-inch thick. As a general rule-of-thumb, the dough is about 1/3 of the finished size of the bun. Allow it to double in size during the final proof - that's about 2/3 of the finished size. The oven spring (the amount the dough continues rising in the oven) represents the last 1/3 of the finished size. If you want to make the dough into hot dog buns, roll the dough into a cylinder just a little larger than the meat you are using. Scale the first one so you'll know how much dough to use and all the rest of them will be the same size. Which makes them not only look good, but they will bake in the same amount of time and all be done at the same time. -Grainlady

I found the little pamphlet that came with it. I'll type out most of it and summarize some. The Pampered Chef's unique, unglazed ceramic Stoneware guarantees great cooking success. The stoneware duplicates the effects of bricklined ovens evenly distributing heat and absorbing moisture. The results are crispier crusts, juicier roasts and lighter, higher volume breads. Each stoneware piece is created to our own specs, fired at temps of over 2000 degrees F, and smoothed by hand. This allows the stoneware to retain heat so foods remain piping hot long after leaving the oven. The pan will gradually turn dark brown in color. There is no need to presoak or preheat it. The loaf pan is perfect for baking and/or reheating: Cornbread Biscuits Rolls Pound Cakes Casseroles Coffee cakes Meat Loaf Before using for the first time: Rinse in warm water and towel dry. Season the surface by first baking a high fat item in the pan (such as meatloaf). After this step, greasing is usually not required. Although, for the first few uses you may wish to lighly sprinkle the pan with cornmeal or lightly spray with veg oil spray. BAKING WITH YOUR STONEWARE You can bake foods at the same times and temperatures that you would normally use. Do not preheat the loaf pan before using. It is microwave safe but foods will not brown in the micro. Knives will not damage the stoneware surface when cutting your cooked item. Stoneware is freezer safe. However, do not transfer any stoneware piece directly from the freezer into the oven. Allow foods frozen in the pan to thaw completely before baking. If using a convection oven remember to reduce the oven temp and baking as directed by the oven's manual. CLEANING Do not use soap or detergent. No dishwasher either. Handwash. Allow to cool completely before cleaning in clear hot water. Scrape off excess food using the nylong scraper (it's a little piece of plastic that comes with it) or a spatula. USE AND CARE Stoneware is a natural clay product that may break if dropped or exposed to sudden changes in temperature. In order to prevent breakage: Do not put hot pan into water. Certain frozen foods must be thawed prior to baking in or on stoneware. These include dense items such as frozen meat, roasts, pork chops, unbreaded fish, or chicken. Frozen prepared foods such as french fries, pizza, or chicken nuggets to NOT need to be thawed prior to baking. Do not use the pan under the broiler or on top of a direct heat source. Do not place any other pan on top of a stoneware piece to bake Do not add liquid to stoneware after it has been heated. Evenly spread food over the surface. Do not cluster foods in the center of the stoneware. ********************************************************* I pretty much just use my loaf pan for yeast and batter breads. I can see why you'd be nervous about the oven situation. My oven door is so big I have to reach in from the side too. That took a while (and a few burns) to get comfortable with.

L, the pull apart wreath would be easier... plllog, the rolls were kind of orange from the squash in there, enough that they actually looked pumpkin-ish. Oh yeah, sleevendog, I like that one too, I need to think about this some more. since we don't even have dates set yet for dinner with either side of the family, maybe I'll have it figured out by the time I need to. I do like the "snip-snip" Christmas tree idea too, I may have to play around and do more than one. We're having tenderloin for both sides of the family, so there will be rolls for both parties. After the popover/yorkshire pudding fiasco a couple of years ago, I'm sticking with dinner rolls! Annie

Sorry. I promised not to say anything about him online that wasn't food. I wasn't trying to mislead. I'm still tickled that the others brought good challah and wine. :) The blessings are supposed to be over one's best. If that's juice and buns, because that's all one has, it's fine, but so much better if they're good! (I still haven't found a bottle of wine there, but I suppose we could have used something from the kitchen. There's good sherry and something white by the stove. ;)